Mike Andrea’s Post

“Increasing demand for power is making access to the grid for new property developments progressively more difficult,” says Chris Glover, Director, Buro Happold. In this recent Property Week article, Chris discusses issues surrounding the demand for power and generation, emphasising that the outdated ‘first come, first served’ system needs to be replaced with ‘first ready, first served’. With only one in 10 connection applications currently moving forward, it's evident that change is long overdue. The newly proposed Connections Action Plan (CAP) aims to streamline connection timescales, but challenges persist. Ambitious targets often lack tangible detail, leaving stakeholders questioning accountability and feasibility, Read this article in full here: https://buro.im/3uwVPEm Join Chris Glover and William Ryan for our upcoming ‘Ramp up the pace of change for connections’ masterclass looking at the challenges and practical steps you can take in the short term https://buro.im/42DBGc6 #utilityconnections #gridreform #Ofgem #electricity #energy #cities #builtenvironment #realestate #development 

There have been a number of articles and commentary in the past week talking about the opportunity that the new government has to reset the role of batteries in the UK electricity thinking. But they need to act fast. https://lnkd.in/eJZefu7p At the same time they aren’t getting the help that they need from the infrastructure operators. This FT article is particularly damning - years of under investment perhaps and not enough coherent drive from Ofgem? https://lnkd.in/evPjV7Fe The UK has a real opportunity to make smart grids at micro and macro level a thing of the present. But it does need government leadership. Taking over the system operator is hopefully a sign of future direction. Mr Milliband we look to you to support the innovation and investment that this country needs. #netzero #powervault

I disagree with the conclusion of the article (which is a thinly veiled attempt to encourage keeping and adding #naturalgas peakers), but not the overall premise: #grid reliability is at risk in the future due to #transportation and #heating #electrification, new #demand centers like #AI and #datacenters, and a #permitting process that is creating increasingly more unsustainable #interconnection queues for #renewables like #wind and #solar as time goes on. But rather than lobby for more subsidies for existing #fossilfuels or keeping increasingly uneconomic #peaker #power plants as part of the mix, I'd love to see the concerns over #reliability used to drive serious reforms on grid-enabling technologies like #smartwires and true #demandflexibility efforts that treat new customer loads as the assets they are for #utilities and the #electric grid. #energypolicy #energy #transmission #cleanenergy https://lnkd.in/evSjBpvH

⚡ Urgent Call to Action for Clean Energy: Modernizing Our Electric Grid ⚡     It's exciting to see NECEC member CTC Global featured in The New York Times discussing the critical need for upgrading our electric grid! The article highlights the challenges of modernizing our infrastructure to support cleaner energy sources. The piece notes that "experts broadly agree that the sluggish build-out of the electric grid is the Achilles’ heel of the transition to cleaner energy. The Energy Department projects that the nation's transmission lines may need to expand by two-thirds or more by 2035 to meet President Biden's ambitious clean energy goals.” Plum raises compelling solutions like advanced conductoring and other grid-enhancing technologies (GETS), as well as the importance of right-sizing transmission projects and making cost-effective investments Read the full article by Brad Plumer to understand why we must emphasize the urgency of improving our electric grid infrastructure to meet clean energy goals: https://lnkd.in/gTgQFWvA CTC Global's innovative work in developing advanced cables is pivotal in enhancing the efficiency and reliability of our transmission systems. Kudos to CTC Global for their contributions and for making significant strides in transitioning to a sustainable future! #CleanEnergy #ElectricGrid #InfrastructureUpgrade #NECECMembers 

Exciting News! The Department of Energy has announced a $2.2 billion investment to strengthen the electrical grid and promote clean power across 18 states. This funding supports constructing over 600 miles of new transmission lines and upgrading 400 miles of existing ones, enhancing our ability to handle extreme weather events fueled by climate change. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm emphasized the urgency, especially after Hurricane Beryl left millions without power in Texas. At Looq AI, we are excited about these advancements and the positive impact they will have on grid resilience and community safety. Read more in the AP article: Energy Department Awards $2.2 Billion to Strengthen the Electrical Grid and Add Clean Power @ https://lnkd.in/gizKd963 #Energy #Sustainability #GridResilience #DOE #LooqAI #CleanEnergy #Innovation #ClimateChange #ProactiveSolutions

Secretary Granholm has told the Washington Post that “I’m very supportive of microgrids…We should be incentivizing communities to think about them so that they are not so dependent on poles with wires atop that were constructed 70 years ago.” Today, Think Microgrid issued an open letter with the goal of holding Secretary Granholm accountable to this statement. Our letter raises concerns with the recently releases zero emissions building (ZEB) definition, which would prohibit microgrids and distributed energy resources from being leveraged as federal building electrification solutions – even as they often outcompete the grid on emissions reduction, outcompete traditional backup generation on resilience and public health, and provide a pathway to intelligent grid interconnection and virtual power plant (VPP) capabilities. We urge the DOE to reconsider the troublesome impacts of this definition and make adjustments based on more transparent data and stakeholder input. Read the letter: https://e9radar.link/ddpr Reporting by Kathy Hitchens in Microgrid Knowledge: https://e9radar.link/vjpq Jennifer Granholm David Turk Jeff Marootian Nicholas Montoni Carolyn Snyder Jim Carlisle Jigar Shah David Crane Dr. Geri Richmond

🚀 Big News from the Department of Energy: Strengthening Our Electrical Grid!🌍 The Department of Energy just announced an incredible $2.2 billion in funding for eight projects spanning 18 states, aimed at bolstering the electrical grid against the increasing impacts of extreme weather, advancing the transition to cleaner electricity, and meeting the growing demand for power. Here’s what this investment will achieve:   🔌 Over 600 miles of new transmission lines.   🔧 Upgrades to 400 miles of existing lines for higher current capacity.    Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm emphasized the importance of this funding, especially as extreme weather events, fueled by climate change, become more frequent and severe. Just last month, Hurricane Beryl hit Texas hard, leaving nearly 3 million people without power and tragically resulting in fatalities due to heat-related complications. These strategic investments are set to deliver more reliable and affordable electricity to 56 million homes and businesses. This marks the single largest direct investment in our nation's grid, and it's a critical step toward meeting the energy needs of an increasingly electrified world. https://lnkd.in/eDCrxHYm At Looq AI, we are excited about these advancements. Our mission aligns with the #DOE's goals, as we focus on leveraging intelligent digital models and new technologies to enhance continuous grid reliability and resilience.  As we move forward, we're committed to supporting utilities in creating a smarter, more sustainable energy future for all. #Energy #Sustainability #GridResilience #DOE #LooqAI #CleanEnergy #Innovation #ClimateChange #EmergencyResponse #ProactiveSolutions #AI #Intellligent #DigitalTwins #DigitalTransformation

https://lnkd.in/ekEDqZQi Thanks to Utility Dive for allowing me the opportunity to share some thoughts on a critical message - the delta between aspirational policy goals and operational realities is growing and that’s troubling. Operational reliability requires that gap to be closed and an honest conversation is long overdue. We at Electric Power Supply Association and our members have been, and remain, committed to collaboration with our peers and other stakeholders to close that gap and ensure a reliable power system. #reliability #power #energy #resourceadequacy

The rollout of BESS is the only major obstacle to achieving Labour's goal of decarbonised power by 2030. It's that simple. Growth in renewable capacity is highly visible thanks to the incredibly successful CfD regime. It's just the 'flexibility' part of the equation to optimise renewables that needs addressing. Encouraging to see this piece on National Grid ESO “blaming a range of technical factors” for #batterystorage “being overlooked up to 90 per cent of the time” For over 12 months, we have been requesting ESO to fix these issues.  We wholeheartedly support the concerns levelled by our peers in the article. With ESO demerging from National Grid on 1 October, we are calling for ESO as a Government owned entity, to double down on giving batteries a level playing field, to save consumers money and accelerate the #energytransition.

BESS technology is a necessary component in the fast developing electricity network replacing the old fossil-fueled power grid. Many more BESS deployments will be needed at all voltage levels on the path to net zero. #bess #gridreliability #netzero #gridresilience #ancillaryservices #flexibility #frequencyresponse #interconnectors #energystorage #operationallimits #frequencyregulation https://lnkd.in/eRvQbTnP